Real Madrid made a significant investment to bolster their squad in the last summer transfer window but, unfortunately, were unable to reap substantial rewards, as they once again finished the season without any trophies.
Four new players arrived last summer, including Dean Huijsen, Franco Mastantuono, Alvaro Carreras, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and these players have put in quite mixed performances during the season.
An Analysis of how they have fared is as follows:
1: Dean Huijsen
The Spanish international joined the Merengues from Bournemouth for a fee of €62.5 million, thus making him the most expensive of the four signings. He made a total of 36 appearances during the season, 24 in La Liga, 9 in the UCL, 2 in the Copa del Rey, and 1 in the Spanish Super Cup. He also scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists during this campaign.
His performances have been hampered by several injuries, and he has also been quite inconsistent throughout the season. However, he has shown some very encouraging signs, and keeping in view the fact that he is still only 21 years of age and this was his first season in a different country and league, one has every reason to hope that he will only go on to improve going forward.
2: Alvaro Carreras
Real Madrid spent €50 million to bring Alvaro Carreras from Benfica to shore up their left flank last summer, and like Huijsen, he has had quite a mixed first season at the Merengue club. He has shored up 38 total appearances up to now, 26 in La Liga, 9 in the UCL, 2 in the Spanish Super Cup, and 1 in the Copa del Rey. He also has 2 goals and 2 assists to his name so far.
The fullback has had a rather good season so far, and is rated 7.03 by Sofascore. However, there have been some games where his performances were simply horrendous, most notably against Atletico Madrid in the first encounter of the league campaign. On the other hand, he also showed his defensive capabilities by keeping in check players like Lamine Yamal.
Going forward, he can work on the offensive aspects of his game to become a more balanced fullback and contribute well on the other side of the pitch as well.
3: Franco Mastantuono
The Argentine arrived at Real Madrid with a lot of fanfare, as he was seen as one of the most promising youngsters in the world last summer, causing the Merengues to shell out €45 million on him, with several other top European clubs also in the race for his signature.
However, one can safely say that his debut season in Spain has been rather underwhelming. He was given a lot of opportunities by Xabi Alonso, and later by Alvaro Arbeloa as well, and he racked up 1265 minutes in 30 total appearances, but has only 3 goals and 1 assist to his name.
There is no doubt that he arrived in Spain at only 18 years of age, and this could have been his year of adaptation. However, pressure will only mount on the Argentine going forward, especially at a club like Real Madrid, and when the club has paid such a big amount for him. Hopefully, he would be able to improve his performances and justify the club’s faith in him going into the next season.
4: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent was undoubtedly the biggest name to join the Merengue side last summer. He could have joined Real Madrid as a free agent, but the Spanish side decided to pay €10 million to Liverpool to have him available for the Club World Cup.
The Englishman has not had an easy debut season in Spain, as he arrived with very high expectations, and has not nearly showcased the abilities that made him such a big star in England. He has also been plagued by physical problems and was able to make only 25 appearances in total this season.
Still, he has been able to rack up 5 assists this season, and his passing ability has been quite good. This could come out to be a useful weapon for the Merengues as they continue to miss a specialized pass-master in the midfield, but for this to happen, Trent would have to ensure he remains physically at his best level and avoid the injuries that hampered him this season.
